Johannes Brahms had a principal focus of interest for the conductor Hans Rosbaud, alongside the music of Mozart. He recorded all four of his symphonies (Symphonies nos. 1 and 3 twice), the two serenades and the two piano concertos. The recordings of Symphony no.1 were produced in 1955 and 1960 and that of Symphony no.2 in 1962 (this was one of the last recordings Rosbaud made before his death). Interestingly, the interpretative approach for the first recordings of Brahms’s Symphonies nos. 1 and 3 is markedly different from the second: the earlier recordings focus on details of form, contrapuntal structure and on instrumental transparency, while in the later recordings Rosbaud provides a more compact overview of the works.

- Another instalment in SWR Classic’s Hans Rosbaud Edition

- Contains all the Brahms recordings Rosbaud made for SWR

- The recording of Brahms’s Symphony no.2 in December 1962 was Rosbaud’s penultimate recording; he died a few days later

- Includes the Piano Concerto no.1 with Walter Gieseking, which was available only on a single LP in the 1960s

- Most of the recordings have never been previously released